French photographer stabbed to death when taking pictures of Buenos Aires Malvinas Memorial

A French photographer was stabbed to death Wednesday morning in Buenos Aires Plaza San Martin, after thieves tried to steal his camera while he was taking pictures of the monument honouring the Argentine Malvinas War memorial.

Laurent Schwebel was stabbed six times

The Malvinas War memorial in downtown Buenos Aires

The man was identified as Laurent Schwebel, 42, and according to initial reports was in Buenos Aires on holiday. Schwebel was a renowned nature photographer, world traveller and contributor to many nature international publications andwebsites.

Schwebel was murdered at around 8 AM in the central square of Buenos Aires next to some of the most famous shopping malls of the city, the Foreign Affairs ministry, Palacio San Martin and the memorial to the Malvinas War veterans.

Police sources stated that the victim was stabbed in the chest, after notably tackling his oppressor. Witnesses at the scene, however, stated that the man was stabbed around six times.

Head of the emergency service Alberto Crescenti assured that the ambulance “took four minutes to arrive to the scene of the crime, after 911 was called, however when paramedics reviewed the patient, he was already dead. He died from having been stabbed in the chest.”

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I'm just wondering, was he concerned in general for his safety in general as he was travelling in Argentina? And how come the guards at the memorial couldn't do a thing to tackle the robbers before the robbers could attack the photographer?

I do not understand what you are trying to say with But not more unnecessary than if an anti-Semitic thug killed a Jew simply for being Jewish, right? What have jews got to do with my post?

You could probably ask the same thing about the police and what they were doing in 1970s New York, when crime was quite high there! Yes, you could, but the NY authorities dealt with the graft and corruption and murders (like the one we are referring to) fell very considerably.

I cannot see from the press or any other source what, if anything, is being done to stop the well known blackmailing / bending of the law to their own personal wealth by the Argentino Policia.

Please provide me with evidence to the contrary if I am mistaken and I will most certainly acknowledge that.

What I'm trying to demonstrate is that random robberies such as this are the same degree of seriousness as violent hate attacks against targets such as Jews, blacks, and gays (or for that matter - rape, domestic violence, etc.). When it's said that victims like him are killed for no reason, there is a reason he was killed - his camera! The same way that Jews are killed by anti-Semites because they're Jewish, gays are killed by homophobes because they're gay, etc. So none of these victims are killed technically for no reason exactly!

In NY, the murder rate went way down starting around 1990. So the police didn't deal immediately with the crime problem from the 1960s or 1970s. It took a change in mayor - Giuliani - in the early 1990s to do it. My point here is that crime in BA is no more dangerous now than in New York City in those days - and considerably less than in Rio de Janeiro, Caracas, Johannesburg, etc.

That's right. Given time, I believe Macri could do something. Not a miracle but something.

And Rio or Caracas are way more dangerous. We don't need to have the police with assault riffles or shotguns at most of the place. And they do stuff. ChrisR, try watching Policias en Accion. And it's from canal 13 so it's not political propaganda.

Thank you for explaining the matter to me regarding crime rates AND YES I agree with you about the other places.

It is never a good idea to tackle a number of thugs on your own, just give them what they are after, whatever it is it can be replaced.

A single thug with a knife however, if you are trained and carry a knife of your own (which is why I carry a 115 mm bladed razor sharp flick knife at all times) is another matter. Most thugs are cowards and will not get into a 'fair fight' for fear of having retribution come down onto their head.

Thank you for thinking of me unlike 'Think' who only likes to score points.

Of course if someone came to me with a firearm that is another matter, but I am working on that though it may take time to solve.

A drugged person can be very dangerous because they can do you damage when they themselves are bleeding to death: they are to be avoided IF POSSIBLE.

A single drunk with a knife is something altogether different. DEPENDING ON THE DEPTH OF THE NARCOSIS may rest my defence. A completely drunk person, barely able to walk is still a danger with a knife but not to someone who knows what to do: and that may be my problem I suspect.